38 Popular Day Hikes in
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The National Park Service maintains more than 800 miles of trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Whether you are a novice with little-to-no hiking experience, or a 900-miler on the Appalachian Trail, the Smoky Mountains has a trail for you. Our list of 38 Popular Day Hikes helps you decide which trails suit you.
How do you know which trails are suitable for your level of experience and athleticism? Which trails have the features you want? We created a series of icons to identify specific qualities and features and assigned them to the trails.
For example, are you looking for easy day hikes? Look for the “easy” icon. Are you looking for a day hikes with waterfalls? There is an icon for that, too. You get the idea. Each trail on our list of 38 Popular Day Hikes has a photo with icons describing the trail’s features.
38 Popular Day Hikes: Trail Icons Defined
Difficulty Grade
The black icons with an “e”, “m”, or “s”, describe the difficulty level of the trail: easy, moderate, or strenuous. Hiking guides differ on how they grade a trail, so we use the most common grade on our day hikes. In addition, if we have hiked the trail personally, we use our own experiences to grade it.
Trail Types
The trails in 38 Popular Day Hikes fall under four categories: 1) Out & Back, 2) Lollipop, 3) Loop, and 4) Point to Point. The descriptions are fairly obvious. The only one that possibly needs an explanation is the point to point. The difference between an out and back and a point to point is that hikers can start at either end of a point to point trail.
Water Features
Many of the 38 Popular Day Hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park have water features. No, not like the ones built by your landscaper; God made these. We highlight 1) waterfalls, 2) cascading water, and 3) rivers, creeks, or streams.
Trail Highlights
The four red icons designate day hikes with 1) great fall foliage, 2) an abundance of wildflowers, 3) scenic views, or 4) a building of historical significance.
Horses, Dogs, and Bikes
Horses, dogs, and bikes are forbidden on nearly all the trails located inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. However, there are a few trails that welcome one, or all, of these. When you see these icons, you know that your dog, horse or bike is allowed on the trail.
Foot Traffic Levels
The foot traffic on the 38 Popular Day Hikes varies greatly. 1) Trails with our “single-hiker” icon are rarely crowded, and if you want to be alone on a trail, you should head for these. 2) Our “two-hikers” icon indicates that the trail is not crowded, but you should expect to see other hikers on the trail. 3) More than a thousand people a day use the most popular trails. Heavily used trails are designated by our “three-hikers” icon. If you want to hike with the masses, these trails are for you.
38 Popular Day Hikes
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is rife with hiking opportunities. With hundreds of miles of trails, you could stop just about anywhere along the roads and get on a trail. However, there is a better way to plan your hiking adventure.
We have chosen 38 popular day hikes to highlight. These trails offer an assortment of challenges, views, rivers, bridges, historical buildings, and more.
Being popular doesn’t mean easy or quick. A trail gets on the “popular day hikes” list because it is a much loved trail. It may be easy or difficult to hike.
Anyway, we hope you find a trail that entices you to put on the hiking boots, climb in the car, and get back to nature. Our 38 Popular Day Hikes is here to help.
1. Look Rock Tower Trail
Look Rock Tower Trail is located on the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Chilhowee, TN. This short, half mile (1 mile round trip), out and back trail, is popular because of the 360° views it provides of the Great Smoky Mountains from the observation tower.
2. Abrams Falls Trail
Abrams Falls is one of the most popular trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trail is 5 miles long and is well traveled by more than a thousand people every day. Expect crowds throughout the year, although winter hikes will be less crowded. More than a few hiking bloggers have indicated that it is their favorite.
3. Elijah Oliver Trail
This trail is a well used, one mile (round trip), out and back, beginning at the Cades Cove Loop Road. The surface is well maintained, consisting of compacted dirt and gravel. Since this trail is easy to walk, very short, located in Cades Cove, and has several buildings to see, it is crowded. You will never walk alone on this trail.
4. Gregory Ridge Trail
Gregory Bald is considered one of the most spectacular settings in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Each summer, flame azaleas cover the bald in an amazing panorama of colors. Due to the difficult nature of this hike, only the physically fit get to enjoy the payoff.
5. Shuckstack Tower Trail
Fighting forest fires in the 1930’s was not as advanced as it is today, and having a bird’s eye view required putting a man above the trees. Park Rangers used these fire towers throughout the park to monitor the forest and report any fires. As technology advanced, the towers became obsolete and were abandoned. Many of the old fire towers have disappeared.
6. Rich Mountain Trail
This is a great trail near a wonderful attraction, but you won’t see many other hikers. Solitude is abundant on this trail. Views of the valley, amazing wildflowers, deer, and wild turkeys, can be expected on the Rich Mountain Trail.
7. Russell Field & Spence Field Loop
Although the trail is called a loop, it is actually a lollipop trail. As you begin your hike on Anthony Creek Trail, expect to see many other hikers along this crowded trail. Even though it is rated “strenuous,” it is well utilized. The loop encompasses four trails.
8. Lakeshore Trail | Hazel Creek Trail | Bone Valley Trail
The easiest way to get to the trailhead is to drive to Fontana Village Resort Marina and take the boat shuttle. You can top off your water supply and use the restroom before boarding for the short trip across Fontana Lake. I could live on a boat, so there is no other choice in my opinion.
9. Middle Prong Trail
The highlight of this trail is the water. Several beautiful waterfalls and cascades can be found all along the trail. While Abrams Falls Trail is by far the more popular trail, the waterfalls and water features of Middle Prong Trail are much better. If you want to see water, this is the trail you want to schedule.
10. Metcalf Bottoms Trail & Little Brier Gap Trail
The historic Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse is just a short hike up Metcalf Bottoms Trail. Continue on via the Little Brier Gap Trail to visit the homestead of the last residents of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Walker Sisters.
11. Laurel Falls Trail
Laurel Falls Trail is quite possibly the most popular trail in all of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The hike to the waterfall is 1.3 miles in each direction. The payoff is an 80’ tall waterfall with opportunities for taking great selfies with your companions.
12. Cucumber Gap Trail
Begin your hike on Little River Trail and arrive at Husky Branch Falls after walking 2.1 miles. The waterfall is 20’ tall and is a great place for photos. Walk another 0.3 mile and turn right onto Cucumber Gap Trail.
13. Little River Trail
The wildflowers along Little River Trail in April and May are spectacular, some of the best in the park. If you happen to be hiking in the fall (October), the leaf colors are breathtaking. You will not find a more beautiful spot to see fall colors up close and personal in the Smoky Mountains.
14. Fighting Creek Nature Trail
The surface is a typical mountain trail of packed dirt with occasional roots and gravel. The trail is one mile long and nearly flat, so it is family friendly. Most people can complete the hike in 45 minutes or so. This is a great introductory trail for a hiking newbie. Look for it at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.
15. Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail
This trail has a flat, paved surface suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. The short distance makes it a quick hike of less than thirty minutes. Physically handicapped persons can enjoy the great outdoors on this trail if they cannot access trails that are more traditional.
16. Gatlinburg Trail
Gatlinburg Trail is one of only two trails in the entire Great Smoky Mountains National Park that allows dogs. In addition, Gatlinburg Trail is one of only four trails in the park where visitors may ride bikes. Begin in Gatlinburg or at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.
17. Old Sugarlands Trail
Old Sugarlands is a wide trail and does not have any dangerous drop-offs to worry about. The surface is an old mountain road and still looks like a two-lane road through the woods. Signs along the trail point to the Sugarlands Cemetery, an abandoned schoolhouse, and other points of interest.
18. Noah “Bud” Ogle Nature Trail
The 30 minutes allotted for walking the trail does not take into consideration the time needed for looking at the historic buildings. You could spend a couple of hours in total, depending how closely you examine the old structures. In the spring, wildflowers are in abundance throughout the property.
19. Chimney Tops Trail
Chimney Tops Trail is one of the most popular in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is also one of the most strenuous. So what makes one of the most strenuous trails one of the most popular? That is easy; the end of the trail reveals one of the most amazing views in the entire park.
20. Andrews Bald | Forney Ridge Trail
Andrews Bald is a fantastic place for an early/late summer picnic (to avoid the heat) and the view of Fontana Lake is spectacular on a clear day. Wildflowers, rhododendron, and flaming azaleas cover the highest bald in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with color.
21. Rainbow Falls Trail
The wildflowers on Rainbow Falls Trail are amazing in the spring. The 80’ tall waterfall is spectacular after a long, steady rain. Rainbow Falls derives its name from the rainbow sometimes visible in the mist on sunny days. Rainbow Falls is also the highest single-drop waterfall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
